Presentation Schedule
Computer-based vs. Face-to-Face Assessment of Speaking: Fitness for Purpose from a Communicative Testing Viewpoint (103653)
Session Chair: Benjamin Huffman
Saturday, 18 April 2026 16:05
Session: Session 4
Room: Room 144A (1F)
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Language testing has traditionally privileged knowledge about language, mainly testing discrete-point grammar and vocabulary, but also the listening and reading skills, and, to a lesser extent, the writing skill. However, the rise of the Communicative Language Approach resulted in a fundamental change in perception of what linguistic ability is, shifting assessment priorities from what learners know about the language to what they can do with it, consequently promoting speaking to a central position in language proficiency assessment. Yet because assessing speaking does not easily lend itself to bulk administration, some international English language proficiency tests have created their own computer-based speaking tests (CBT), with the intent to make it more readily accessible to examinees around the world. This development has sparked debate over whether CBT can validly approximate direct, face-to-face speaking assessments from a communicative testing viewpoint. Based on a systematic review of the relevant literature, this exploratory presentation examines the communicative validity of CBT through three lenses. First, it delineates the construct of communicative speaking ability, emphasizing interactional competence, discourse management, pragmatic appropriateness, and strategic competence. Second, it maps task types and rating criteria to this construct, comparing their fit in CBT versus face-to-face formats, and evaluates dimensions of authenticity, interactivity, and consequential validity. Third, it contrasts human and computerized rating—addressing reliability, construct coverage, sensitivity to discourse/pragmatics, and bias. The presentation will close with an overall evaluation of both modes of assessment, in addition to practical guidelines for communicative speaking test design and recommendations for context(s) of use.
Authors:
Yazan Brahim, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
About the Presenter(s)
Yazan Brahim is currently Currently a Senior English Language Lecturer at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman.
See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule
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